Alfonso Castrigno - NATA DALLA LUNA ( XL)

Alfonso Castrigno
Bari
Italy
12/9/59
"NATA DALLA LUNA"
acrylic on canvas 120 x 87
Certificate of authenticity.
shipped rolled in protective packaging

"...Sometimes inspiration does not arrive with words, but with a deep, almost compulsory silence.

In this new work of mine (120 x 87 cm), there is a detail that speaks to the heart of those who know how to observe: look closely at the sketched profile right beneath the golden dove. It is a face that seems muffled by streams of color, captured in a moment of suspension between sky and earth.

It is the symbol of that "feeling" which cannot be explained in words, of that secret we carry inside and that only art can try to narrate. The dove protects this silence, while an ethereal figure descends from above to meet the waiting female face, motionless, in its transformation.

A work born in a state of deep connection, dedicated to those who believe that beauty resides also in what we cannot say."

Alfonso Castrigno | Artistic Biography
Born in 1959 in Corato (BA) Alfonso Castrigno is a self-taught artist whose painting practice represents a fascinating bridge between artisanal experience and metaphysical inquiry. His training did not take place within the walls of academies, but on the scaffolds of restoring old decorations on ceilings, a job that allowed him to internalize the secrets of light and classical composition directly from the great masters of the past.

Masters and Influences
His aesthetics are the result of a constant dialogue with the giants of modern art:

The search for color and spirituality in Kandinsky.

The synthesis of forms and the solid composition of Cézanne.

The symbolic, precious, dreamlike atmosphere of Moreau.

The fragmentation of space and the expressive force of Picasso.

To these influences is added a deep affinity with metaphysical painters, evident in the sense of temporal suspension and silence that pervades his works.

Career and Exhibitions
Active mainly in Apulia, Castrigno has participated in numerous group exhibitions, often choosing direct contact with the public through open-air displays. This approach reflects his vision of art as a living element, capable of interacting with urban and everyday space as the decorations he once restored did.

Poetics
Today his production stands out for the ability to fuse the plasticity of the nude and statuary with abstract and vibrant scenarios. Each of Castrigno’s canvases is a "vision" where reality dissolves to make room for dream and chromatic harmony, paying homage to the great European artistic tradition through an intimate and contemporary language.

Critical Review:

"Born from the Moon" – The Silence of the Spirit
In this monumental work (120 x 87 cm), the visual path becomes dramatic and revealing. The narrative is not limited to a celestial descent, but explores the conflict between inspiration and words.

The Muzzled Profile and the Dove
At the center of the composition, closely connected to the shape of the golden dove, emerges a sketched profile, almost a psychic projection of the main face. This profile appears muffled by streams of color, material traces that seem to suffocate or contain a scream, a word or a secret.

It is a symbolically powerful image: it represents the soul which, the moment it receives the divine breath of the dove, finds itself unable to translate the absolute into human language. The chromatic gag is not censorship, but the sign of mystical silence, of that semi-trance condition in which the artist works, where the voice falls silent to make way for pure vision.

The Female Face: Between Vision and Constraint
Under the dove, the female face observes this process. The figure descending from above is not only a guide, but a force that molds matter, sometimes constraining it. The streams of color that envelop the profile suggest a fluid energy, typical of naturopathy and vibational disciplines, that flows and blocks at the same time, creating a perfect balance between spiritual freedom and physical limit.

Signature: The work is signed bottom right, confirming the artist’s original hand.